Julio Xavier Labayen | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Prelate Emeritus of Infanta | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Church | Catholic | ||||||||||||||||||||
| See | Prelature of Infanta | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Appointed | July 26, 1966 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Installed | September 12, 1966 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Retired | June 28, 2003 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Predecessor | Patrick Harmon Shanley | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Successor | Rolando Tria Tirona | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| Orders | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Ordination | June 4, 1955 by Adeodato Giovanni Piazza | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Consecration | September 8, 1966 by Rufino Jiao Santos | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | Julio Xavier Lizares Labayen Jr. July 23, 1926 (1926-07-23) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | April 27, 2016 (2016-04-28) (aged 89) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Buried | Alagad Ni Maria Seminary,Antipolo,Rizal | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Motto | Dominus est (Latin for 'It is the Lord' –John 21:7) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Coat of arms |  | ||||||||||||||||||||
Ordination history | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Julio Xavier Lizares Labayen Jr. (July 23, 1926 – April 27, 2016) was aFilipino Catholicprelate. Ordained to the priesthood in 1955 as aDiscalced Carmelite, he served as bishop andprelate of theTerritorial Prelature of Infanta, Philippines from 1966 until 2003.[1] He was among the first Filipino Discalced Carmelites in the 1950s.[2] He was the first Filipino Discalced Carmelite bishop and the second bishop/prelate of Infanta.
He was a staunch defender of human rights, especially during the years of the Martial Law in the Philippines, being known to be one of the "Magnificent 7" who voiced their opposition to the Marcos regime.[3]In recognition of his efforts against authoritarian rule, his name was inscribed on the Wall of Remembrance at theBantayog ng mga Bayani in 2016.[4]
Labayen also served in various capacities in promotion of the welfare and rights of the poor and the marginalized, primarily in his appointment as the first chair of theCatholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP)'s National Secretariat for Social Action-Justice and Peace (NASSA).[5]
Labayen met Patrick Shanley in 1946, a meeting that led to the eventual entrance to the order. The young man formally entered the Order of Discalced Carmelites on October 15, 1948 (Feast ofSanta Teresa de Jesús), with the entrance to the novitiate inBrookline, Massachusetts. Consequently, he received the Carmelite habit on 6 November and took the religious nameXavier.
On November 7, 1948, after a year in the novitiate, he professed simple vows as Brother Xavier of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. His solemn profession of vows took place on May 14, 1953, at Colegio Sta. Teresa in Rome.
As part of his seminary formation, Labayen took the courses needed towards priesthood. In all these, he excelled and finished it with flying colors. He studied philosophy (1949-1952) atHoly Hill, Milwaukee, WI, graduating magna cum laude. He took his theology courses and master's degree in Theology (1952-1957),Teresianum, finishing cum laude.
He was also made to study canon law after his priesthood atAngelicum. He finished his master's degree in canon law, summa cum laude in 1959.[6]
Labayen was ordained on June 4, 1955, inColegio Sta. Teresa in Rome by CardinalAdeodato Piazza (who was also a Discalced Carmelite). It was not until four years later that he was able to celebrate his firstSolemn High Mass in Bacolod on November 14, 1949. As a priest, he was assigned as assistant parish priest of St. Joseph Parish in Polillo in 1959 then consequently its parish priest the next year. Yet, he will fill another assignment asapostolic administrator of the Prelature of Infanta on June 23, 1961.[6]
On July 26, 1966, he was subsequently appointed byPope Paul VI asTerritorial Prelate of Infanta andTitular Bishop of Sinnuara.[7] He was consecrated bishop on September 8, 1966, at theCarmelite church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel (now anational shrine andminor basilica) inNew Manila, Quezon City. CardinalRufino Jiao Santos (Archbishop of Manila) was the principal consecrator along with the two principal co-consecrators Bishop Alfredo Maria Obviar (then Apostolic Administrator ofLucena) and Bishop Pedro Bantigue (then Auxiliary Bishop of Manila).[8]
As a bishop, he was a principal co-consecrator for the episcopal ordinations of Bishop Jesus Varela in 1967, Bishop Arquimínio Rodrigues da Costa in 1976, and Archbishop Rolando Octavus Joven Tria Tirona, OCD in 1994.[9]
Bishop Labayen served the Prelature of Infanta untilPope John Paul II approved his retirement on June 28, 2003, with the announcement of the appointment of his Carmelite confrere, BishopRolando Tria Tirona.[10] Labayen was the longest-serving Prelate of Infanta for 36 years.
The heraldry of Bishop Labayen was designed byGalo B. Ocampo.
The dexter side (left of the viewer) represents the Prelature of Infanta, according to the practice of combining the arms of the bishop with his territorial jurisdiction. On the chief of the dexter (upper left) are symbols of the titular patrons of the prelature: the orb (Infant Jesus of Prague) and the lion (Mark the Evangelist). On the base of the dexter (bottom left) is an azure background andfleur-de-lis representing the Blessed Virgin Mary and the three flowers symbolizing the Trinity.
The sinister side (right of the viewer) bears the personal blazon of the bishop. The chief of the sinister (upper right) is the arms of the Order of Discalced Carmelites to which the bishop belonged. On the base of the sinister (bottom right) is asable andargent checkered which was the arms of the Labayen family.
His episcopal motto is"Dominus est" from the John 21:7 where the beloved disciple shouted "It is the Lord" and reflects a recognition of God in all circumstances of life.
The Church in the Philippines declared during the Second Plenary Council of the Philippines](informally known as the PCP-II convoked in 1991) that "As we approach the year 2000, Christ bids this community—ourselves, the laity, religious and clergy of the Catholic Church in the Philippines—to be a Church of the Poor."[11] This vision, first arose during the Second Vatican Council, upholdingCatholic social teachings,[12] were adapted by local conferences such as theEpiscopal Conference of Latin America (CELAM) when they declared the "preferential option for the poor"[13] and theFederation of Asian Bishops' Conferences (FABC) espousing the Church of the Poor in 1975.[14]
Long before the declaration of PCP-II, Labayen was an ardent proponent of the Church of the Poor in the Philippines[15] which was his brainchild in the Prelature of Infanta. The program prioritized to serve those neglected by the society: workers, indigenous people and others who relied on no one but themselves. As a shepherd, he immersed himself with the people and established dialogue in the grassroots, a concept the laity never imagined to happen. As such he became close to the heart of the people who loved him as a father.[16]
Labayen died on April 27, 2016, at 6:52 AM, inManila.[17] People poured from different walks of life during his wake in different locations: first in Quezon City, then to Baler, Aurora, and after to Infanta, Quezon.[18] His remains was returned to his retirement place in Antipolo City where he was buried in a crypt under the congregation's chapel on May 3, 2016.
These are the books written by Labayen among a plenitude of talks, articles and seminars:
As a religious, Labayen recognized the gift of the religious and consecrated persons in the church. As such he founded congregations to serve the church in their own ways.[6]
Among many groups, these are some of NGO's founded or co-founded by Labayen:[6]
PAULUS EPISCOPUS
SERVUS SERVORUM DEI
dilecto filio XAVERIO JULIO LABAYEN, Administratori Apostolico Praelaturae Infantensis, Episcopo titulo Sinnauritano renuntiato, salutem et apostolicam benedictionem. Praelaturam Infantensem, non sane ultimam in Insulis Philippinis Ecclesiam christianae fidei gloria et ornamento, etsi recentiore tantum aetate conditam, quinquennio ante curis tuis commiserunt, quasi thesaurum magni pretii, ut labore, industria, providentia tua et ab hostium periculis prohiberes, et sanctissimam religionem Christi in ea intenderes et propagares, et gratiae sacramento ad sancta pro fide certamina instrueres; quae omnia cum diligenter ac studiose sis consecutus, visum est esse sive cum tuo honore coniunctum, sive cum istius Eclesiae fortuna, si dignitati tuae episcopale decus adderetur. Placet ergo Te, consilio ante petito a dilecto filio Nostro S. R. E. Cardinali Sacrae Congregationis Consistorialis Propraefecto, Episcopum titulo SINNUARITANUM renuntiari, quae sedes est in Provincia Proconsulari, quaeque iam certo modo vacabat, factis seilicet iuribus et oneribus iustis. Poteriy autem, si commodum erit, etiam extra urbem Romam Episcopus consecrari a quolibet catholico Episcopo, assistentibus duobus aequalis dignitatis viris, qui omnes sint cum hac Petri Cathedra fidei vinculis coniuncti. Non ante tamen id fiat quam sive fidei professionem fecisti, sive utrumque ius iurandum dedisti: fidelitatis erga Nos, et contra modernistarum errores, teste item aliquo Praesule qui Nobiscum sit sincera fide coniunctus. His actis, formulas iuxta quas iuraveris, tuo nomine subscripto et sigillo impresso, eum Tui tum etiam eius qui affuit iuranti Episcopi, ad Sacram Congregationem Consistorialem cito mittes. Ceterum, dilecte fili, aucta dignitate, iam maiora etiam virtutum specimina da. Nullum autem Te ad id plus movebit argumentum, quam si Christum, Cruci affixum pro hominum salute, assidue consideres omnique acie ingenii contempleris. Datum ex Arce Candulfi, prope Romam, die sexta et vicesima mensis lulii, anno Domini millesimo nongentesimo sexagesimo sexto, Pontificatus Nostri quarto. — F. T. —
Jacobus Alosius Card Copello
S.R.E. Cancellarius
Franciscus Tinelle, Regens
Joannes Calleri, Proton. Apost.
Sylvius Romani, Proton. Apost.
Expedita die XXII Aug. anno Pontif. IV
Marius Orsini, Plumbator
In cane. Ap. tab. Vol. CXXI N. 37
| Catholic Church titles | ||
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| Preceded by Patrick Harmon Shanley, OCD | Prelate of Infanta September 12, 1966 – June 28, 2003 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by None | — TITULAR — Bishop of Sinnuara September 8, 1966 – February 18, 1978 | Succeeded by Peter Kurongku |
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